A few dozen people marched against gun violence on Saturday in Laval. In particular, they called for more prevention resources from the various levels of government.
Posted at 3:37 p.m.
For Rodney Dorvelus, of the Place Saint-Martin Working Committee, which organized the demonstration, it was important to denounce armed violence and send a message to elected officials. The march, called “Together for Peace” is a response to the many shootings that have taken place in the area recently.
Mr. Dorvelus would like to see more repression, of course, but also and above all more prevention. He would like more money to be invested in local infrastructure and “projects to support young people”.
The demonstrators gathered at the Raymond-Fortin Community Center to the rhythm of the percussions of the Terrato group before marching on Le Corbusier Boulevard and Saint-Martin Boulevard. They wore slogans such as “Laval says no to violence” and “Am I the next victim?” “.
Photo Catherine Lefebvre, THE PRESS
The march is called “Together for Peace”
The local member of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), Saul Polo, present at the march, welcomed the creation of Operation CENTAURE by the government, but also highlighted the importance of prevention. “For every dollar invested in support of police resources, the same amount of money should be invested in crime prevention and support for community organizations,” he said.
The MP also called the “national freeze” on handguns announced by the federal government this week a “step in the right direction”. “But that does not solve the whole problem, he added, because very often armed incidents are made with weapons that enter Canada illegally”, which he would like to see fought with more vigor.
Mr. Polo also called for “exemplary sentences” for crimes related to the possession and use of illegal weapons. Does this mean that he would like the use of mandatory minimum sentences, which are being repealed for certain offenses by the federal government’s Bill C-5? “I’ll let the federal government decide how best to deal with it.”